Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
The arrival of fall and the return of pumpkin everything — lattes, patches, carvings — means two things in Utah: Things are about to get really pretty and really fun.
And while there's no real wrong way to enjoy sweater weather in the Beehive State, there are some seasonal activities you just can't miss. Some involve natural beauty, others unnaturally creepy (but exhilarating) adventures.
Here's how to enjoy the autumn season to its fullest –– with a healthy balance of scenic, spooky, and other miscellaneous seasonal fun.
Plan a Pando visit
Although fall foilage in the mountains has slowed down, adding a biological marvel to your autumn fun is a great idea!
Just west of Fish Lake lie 47,000 aspen trees that turn majestic shades of yellow and gold in the fall. Except that those trees are actually technically stems of a clonal organism, connected by the same multi-root system. In other words, it's all just one tree.
This tree is named Pando, and it boasts stats worthy of the arboreal hall of fame:
- 13.2 million pounds (heaviest tree in the world).
- 43-hectare span (largest tree in the world).
- 9,000 to 16,000 years old (one of the oldest trees in the world).
Pando can be fully enjoyed from the comfort of your car — it's part of the Fishlake Scenic Byway — but if you want to stretch your legs while enjoying the scenery, there are some nearby hikes like the Fish Lake Loop.
Celebrate Oktoberfest
Golden brews, golden views—what else could you possibly want?
Snowbird famously features world-class powder in the winter, but it's also home to arguably the best —and definitely the biggest — Oktoberfest celebration in the state, attracting more than 60,000 visitors each year from August to October.
The annual festival features over 50 varieties of beers, from traditional German-style lagers to seasonal and local brews.
But there's a lot more than beer on tap: polka bands, an artisan marketplace (Der Marketplatz), face painting and an alpine slide are sure to keep the whole family entertained.
And of course, no Oktoberfest is complete without the food.
Snowbird delivers with a hearty spread: bratwursts, schnitzels, sauerkraut, apple strudels, and many other German staples make the festival a culinary celebration as much as a cultural one.
Get spooky with it
Fall is synonymous with Halloween, and a plethora of activities are available in Utah for those looking for a voluntary fright, including:
- Lagoon Frightmares: The quintessential Utah amusement park turns up the terrifying in the fall by adding nine haunted attractions (some family-friendly) to its regular thrilling rides.
- Haunted houses: Fear Factory and Nightmare on 13th are mainstays with high-production value near downtown SLC, while Castle of Chaos in Midvale offers five levels of scare. Want an open-air experience instead? Check out Haunted Hollow in Ogden or Haunted Forest in American Fork. And if you want really scary, head to Asylum 49. It's located at the old Tooele Hospital and is a full-contact haunted house.
